Modular Construction of Nanostructured Catalysts for Solar Hydrogen Generation from Water

用于太阳能水制氢的纳米结构催化剂的模块化结构

• 批准号: 0829142
• 负责人: Frank Osterloh
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0829142&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Modular; Construction; Nanostructured; Catalysts; Solar

CBET-0829142OsterlohThe sunlight that strikes the earth over one hour provides enough energy to satisfy all human energy needs for an entire year. However, efficient methods of conversion of this energy into usable fuels have yet to be found. Of particular interest in this regard are materials that use light to photochemically split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen then serves as an environmentally friendly energy carrier. Many inorganic materials are known to catalyze this "water splitting reaction", but their efficiency remains too low for commercial applications. The purpose of this project is twofold. First, a new class of water splitting catalysts will be developed that can be assembled in a modular fashion from inorganic nanoparticles. Here, the nanoparticles function as separate components for light absorption and water conversion. The advantage of this building block approach is that light absorption, charge transfer, and chemical properties can be independently optimized. The final catalysts are powders that can be mixed in water to produce clean hydrogen from abundant solar energy. The second goal of the project is to learn more about the mechanism of photochemical water splitting with nanoparticle catalysts. A first step here will be to measure the amount of evolved hydrogen and oxygen under ultraviolet or visible light illumination, and to correlate gas production with the structure of the catalysts. Secondly, time-resolved absorption spectroscopy will be employed to determine how effectively light is converted into charge and how quickly the charge travels to the surface of the catalysts, where water conversion takes place. The effectiveness of the nanoparticle surfaces to split water will be studied separately using electrochemical methods. Similar methods will also be used to determine the electronic structure of the nanoparticle components, which control the flow of charge within the catalysts. The results from these studies will improve the understanding of the catalytic activity of inorganic nanostructures, and help to raise their efficiency. The research portion of this project will be accompanied with several educational and outreach activities, including a new graduate class "Chemistry of Nanoparticles" and science exhibits and chemistry shows for the public. New opportunities for graduate and undergraduate student research will also be created. These activities are designed to recruit and educate a new generation of scientists and engineers who can help to develop more effective ways to utilize sunlight as a renewable energy source.

CBET-0829142Osterloh 照射地球一小时的阳光所提供的能量足以满足人类一整年的所有能源需求。 然而，尚未找到将这种能量转化为可用燃料的有效方法。 在这方面特别令人感兴趣的是利用光将水光化学分解成氧气和氢气的材料。 然后氢气充当环境友好的能源载体。 已知许多无机材料可以催化这种“水分解反应”，但它们的效率对于商业应用来说仍然太低。 该项目的目的是双重的。 首先，将开发一类新型水分解催化剂，它可以由无机纳米颗粒以模块化方式组装。 在这里，纳米颗粒充当光吸收和水转化的单独组件。 这种构建块方法的优点是可以独立优化光吸收、电荷转移和化学性质。 最终的催化剂是粉末，可以与水混合，利用丰富的太阳能产生清洁的氢气。 该项目的第二个目标是更多地了解纳米颗粒催化剂光化学分解水的机制。 这里的第一步是测量在紫外线或可见光照射下释放的氢气和氧气的量，并将气体产量与催化剂的结构相关联。 其次，时间分辨吸收光谱将用于确定光转化为电荷的效率以及电荷移动到发生水转化的催化剂表面的速度。 将使用电化学方法单独研究纳米粒子表面分解水的有效性。 类似的方法也将用于确定纳米颗粒成分的电子结构，该结构控制催化剂内的电荷流动。 这些研究结果将增进对无机纳米结构催化活性的理解，并有助于提高其效率。该项目的研究部分将伴随多项教育和推广活动，包括新的研究生班“纳米颗粒化学”以及面向公众的科学展览和化学表演。 还将为研究生和本科生研究创造新的机会。 这些活动旨在招募和教育新一代科学家和工程师，帮助开发更有效的方法来利用阳光作为可再生能源。